In the News

Authorities resumed digging in a Michigan forest for the remains of as many as seven girls who have been missing for decades. Police began searching the site after speaking with a man serving life in prison for the slaying of another girl whose body was found nearby.

'Three Percenters', the Canadian branch of an American group say on social media that they are ready to fight against government, should it become tyrannical. One Canadian expert in hate crimes says the group is engaged in paramilitary training.

Last year, a Google’s Street View car photographed Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) employees and their vehicles in a parking lot at their Ottawa headquarters. Now offline since being available since 2017, the images allowed CSIS employees to be personally identified.

From the possibility of failing a roadside breath test because of second-hand smoke to the risk of being denied entry to the United States, British Columbia politicians are looking at the realities of legal marijuana.

Police, not politicians, should decide what restrictions to place on specific kinds of guns, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. His government’s firearms bill, which once passed would restore the authority of RCMP experts to classify firearms without political influence, repealing cabinet’s authority to overrule Mountie determinations.

The new RCMP Commissioner, Brenda Lucki has been directed to modernize the force, check harassment and workplace violence, and create a climate of reconciliation with Indigenous people. The Trudeau government also directed Lucki to place more women, Indigenous and minority group members in leadership positions.

Police have dropped the case against a young Halifax man alleged to have breached a Nova Scotia freedom-of-information website, shifting the issue squarely back to whether the province had basic measures in place to protect its citizens' private information. Halifax police say that after a thorough investigation, "the police have determined there to be no grounds to lay charges in the matter."

Public Safety Canada consultations with other government agencies in 2017 for a document on internal extremism revealed disagreement about how to describe the far right. Public, public safety and intelligence officials differed widely in their assessment of the threat.

Spain's maritime rescue service said Sunday that it saved 476 migrants who were attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from African shores. The migrants were pulled from 15 small boats on Friday and Saturday, officials said. There were no reported casualties.

Shortly after Kilauea erupted Thursday, the ground split open on the east side of Leilani Estates, exposing an angry red beneath the lush landscape. As of Sunday night, at least 10 such fissure vents were reported in the neighbourhood — including two that had opened anew late Saturday night — and at least 26 homes had been destroyed, according to the county civil defense agency.

India's National Investigation Agency has registered a First Information Report (FIR) - a document that registers allegations of an offence - against Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian resident, for allegedly planning terrorist attacks. The FIR states that Nijjar planned to promote terrorism in Punjab.

The Aboriginal peoples committee of the Senate wants legal marijuana legislation delayed for a year, to negotiate a revenue-sharing deal and to set aside licenses for cannabis producers for Indigenous peoples. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said cannabis will be legal in Canada by summer,

Data from a 2014 Canada/U.S. study shows Canadian emission levels for some key pollutants are starkly higher. For example, Sarnia’s Imperial Oil refinery emitted 10 times more fine particulate matter, seven times more carbon monoxide, and 49 times more sulphur dioxide than the Detroit plant (a mere 100km to the south).

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed it is reviewing a Canadian proposal to amend the Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires Canada and the United States to refuse entry to asylum seekers who arrive at official ports of entry along the shared border, as both countries are considered safe for refugees.

Julie Michaud, a 35-year old middle school science teacher in northern New Brunswick has been charged with cocaine trafficking along with eight other people. The arrests resulted from an 18-month RCMP investigation.

During a routine examination of luggage on a flight from Mexico, CBSA border services officers observed anomalies on three suitcases. The inspection resulted in a seizure of 100 kg of methamphetamine and 4 kg of heroin.

A new scan of the Indian Ocean floor for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has searched nearly 80,000 square kilometres since January without finding any sign of the wreckage. But the company looking for the plane, which has been missing for more than four years, said it is still determined to find it.

An abandoned highrise building occupied by squatters in downtown Sao Paulo caught fire and collapsed, sending chunks of fiery debris crashing into neighbouring buildings and surrounding streets. Firefighters said at least one person had been killed and there could be more.

Asylum seekers enter Canada illegally to avoid dealing with the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA), whose mandate is to reject them under the Safe Third Country Agreement. Last weekend, near an illegal crossing point in Quebec, a reporter saw a CBSA vehicle and employees apparently co-operating with RCMP officers processing migrants entering Canada.

Under new laws, Canadians can grow four marijuana plants at home, but the head of the Canadian Real Estate Association, Michael Bourque says the result could be damaged and unhealthy homes as mold and fungus can spread through ventilation systems. His group wants a moratorium on home cultivation until provinces can develop effective regulations.

Chinese officials have been quietly grilling Canada about illicit marijuana flowing to their country, prompting Ottawa to agree to work with them on the problem, an internal federal memo reveals. The previously unknown issue arose during talks between the two countries on curbing the clandestine importation of opioids into Canada, which has fuelled a crisis of overdose deaths from fentanyl and related compounds.

The city force has revealed to the police board that 150 officers — nearly 11 per cent of the entire force — are, as a result of formal medical accommodations, either doing modified versions of their jobs or entirely different jobs because of medical restrictions. The greatest impact is on the front-line directorate.

An APTN investigation has found racist and derogatory remarks about Indigenous people on a 'private' Facebook site for RCMP members. The force is investigating and Brenda Butterworth-Carr, Commanding Officer of the RCMP's ‘K’ Division in British Columbia said, "There’s zero tolerance.”

Security experts say vehicle attacks like the one that killed ten people in Toronto on Monday are almost impossible to stop. In the past two years, 10 such attacks in Europe have killed more than 100 people.

Ward Elcock, the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns that the sale of Aecon Group Inc. to Chinese interests would threaten Canada’s national security. Elcock says rejecting the sale would bring a “sharp reaction” from China.

Alek Minassian, accused of murdering 10 people in Toronto on Monday was a Canadian Forces recruit for two months late last year before requesting and receiving his release. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said no concerns were raised about his mental health.

Alek Minassian, charged with murdering ten people and injuring 15 others with a rented van in north Toronto, repeatedly threatened the arresting officer with a weapon he did not have, and asked the officer to kill him. The arrest was made without shooting.

Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill is in police custody after a van was used in north Toronto to kill ten people and send another 15 to hospital. The Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the attack is not part of a plot that threatens national security. He held out the possibility the investigation could evolve but current information indicates the incident was isolated.

A commons committee has modified a new security bill to exclude information Canadians think has a "reasonable expectation of privacy" from the definition of "publicly available" data. The goal of the change is to keep intelligence agencies from randomly looking through personal information. The Communications Security Establishment has told the committee it wants publicly available materials for background information.

There appears to be a number of fatalities after multiple pedestrians were struck by a white van in Toronto and police say the driver has been arrested. Toronto police said the incident happened around 1 p.m. on Monday in the area of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue.

After a massive manhunt, police in Nashville have arrested Travis Reinking, suspected of killing four people at a Waffle House in the early hours of Sunday. As the search continued for the gunman, James Shaw Jr. who snatched the rifle from the shooter said it was a "selfish" act of self-preservation and he doesn't consider himself a hero.

A new book called "Just Watch Us" says Canadian security agencies were so busy watching the early women’s liberation movement for Communist infiltration that they almost missed the real revolution. Mounties and their informants monitored meetings, rallies and speeches.

Bell, Rogers and Public Safety Canada refused to respond to interview requests after a November CBC story about the ease with which cell phones could be hacked. A review of the lobbyist registry shows the companies did speak privately with the government about the security vulnerability.

Members of Parliament yesterday questioned Facebook executives about how well their company protects its users. Members' concerns included misinformation about Canadian Forces members in Latvia and foreign interference in Canadian elections.

An earthquake of at least magnitude 5.5 struck in southern Iran near the country’s sole nuclear power plant on Thursday morning, shaking countries across the Persian Gulf. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.

Sindri Thor Stefansson was in custody for allegedly being the mastermind behind a heist in which 600 computers used to mine bitcoin were stolen. People in Iceland are wondering how a suspected criminal managed to jump out a prison window and catch a flight to Sweden without anyone noticing — especially the prime minister, who happened to be on the same flight.

One of Justin Trudeau's largest domestic political problems followed him to London, as environmental activists greeted the prime minister with calls to kill the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The demands came during an elaborate protest outside the Canadian High Commission in the capital's London's iconic Trafalgar Square.

The Conservative opposition is putting pressure on the Trudeau government to put a stop to illegal migrant border crossings. In Quebec, provincial government officials say the increase in illegal immigrants has strained their resources to the breaking point.

Noting the increasing difficulties of recruiting and retaining search and rescue technicians for the Coast Guard and Air Force, Senator Fabian Manning says governments to re-evaluate the situation.

Why is Canada Cutting Cheques to Suspected Terrorists?

Apr 18, 2018

The recent collapse of negotiations between the Government of Canada and lawyers for suspected terrorist Abousfian Abdelrazik, highlights the urgency with which Canada needs to develop an effective strategy to clarify how its national security enforcement and intelligence officials deal with foreign governments relating to Canadians, or persons linked to Canada, who are involved in terrorism-related investigations.

With a new video, the Antiquities Coalition is leading the global campaign against cultural racketeering. The video highlights illegal looting and trafficking of ancient art, which threatens not only cultural sites throughout the world, but also funds terrorists and criminals.

Newly disclosed documents show a top secret federal report - kept under wraps for over a decade - criticized Canada's spy agency for shortcomings as its members increasingly travelled overseas to interrogate people in foreign prisons in the name of fighting terrorism.

A woman was sitting on the left side of the plane when something in the engine apparently broke and smacked into the window. She hung out the hole for many minutes, said Hollie Mackey, who sat next to the victim. One of 24 fan blades was missing, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said after investigators got a preliminary look at the engine that failed.

A November 2006 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service inspector general advised the agency to take precautions when interviewing detainees abroad, because of concerns about torture. The document has emerged through disclosure in a lawsuit against the federal government.

South Carolina state officials blamed the carnage on a turf war between gangs over territory, money and contraband items like cellphones. For seven hours, Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said, inmates armed with handmade knives fought each other, leaving seven dead in the worst U.S. prison riot in a quarter-century.

Beyond the unprecedented outpouring of support to the Humboldt Broncos victims and their families, it has become clear that no agency of the government of Canada has a mandate to conduct an in-depth safety investigation of this crash, or of any other road crash, no matter how tragic its outcomes are.

Daniel Jean, Canada's top intelligence official told a Commons committee it was his decision to brief reporters about the presence of convicted terrorist Jaspal Atwal during the prime minister’s trip to India. Opposition members rejected the explanation.

The British Columbia Workers Compensation Act is adding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental injuries to the 'presumptive' conditions that no longer require proof they are work related.

The "social justice warrior" ethos and politicization of oversight agencies is having an impact on police services. In Ottawa, a nasty fight on social media about depolicing has broken out between an anonymous officer, the mayor and the police chief.

August 2016 speaking notes for Michel Coulombe, then head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warn politicians that foreign agents are working to influence their decisions. Russia and China could use “free travel or financial contributions” and even “coercion based on some observed exploitable personal or family weakness”, techniques that have worked well in the past.

A bomb exploded at a packed football stadium in southern Somalia and killed five spectators while wounding several others, police said. The Somalia-based, al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Mark Holland, parliamentary secretary to the Public Safety Minister says two new federal cyber security agencies will work closer with business. The RCMP will manage the new National Cyber Crime Co-ordination Unit, and the Communications Security Establishment will operate the new Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

A study by Carleton University's Police Psychology Research Lab grew out of an RCMP officer's health-and-safety complaint about the Mounties' standard-issue light grey shirt. The RCMP-sponsored study measured how ordinary Canadians react to the outward appearance of cops, with variables ranging from sunglasses and piercings to gloves and ball caps.

Jack MacLaren, an Ottawa area MPP for Ontario's Trillium Party wants the federal government to take the Tamil Tigers off the list of recognized terrorist organizations. Toronto police have been quoted as saying there are thousands of Tamil Tiger fighters in Canada and that terrorist members of the group have been smuggled into the country.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has found Vojislav Seselj - leader of the Serbian Radical Party - guilty of war crimes against Croatians in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina during the war in former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Lesly Emmanuel, Kunarobinson Christhurajah, Nadarajah Mahendran and Thampeernayagam Rajaratnam have each been charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with organizing the voyage of the MV Sun Sea, which docked in British Columbia in August, 2010, carrying 492 Sri Lankan Tamils.

Documents obtained by the National Post show elaborate planning, over the past five weeks, for a drill at a major government building in Gatineau, Que., on April 18. The drill will involve just over 1,000 people, most of whom work for government departments. The majority, about 850, work at National Defence.

The Windsor Police Service is currently about 18 percent women. Chief Al Frederick wants that number to be 50 per cent but admits parity is a goal he might not see. Superintendent Pam Mizuno, the force's highest ranked woman, was named deputy chief Wednesday.

Bill C-75, the Trudeau government's new crime legislation, could change police accountability in Canada. It would allow courts to accept police evidence in writing instead of testifying in person, and in some cases, defence lawyers would not be able to question officers on the witness stand.

CBC News reports the Ontario government will ask bystanders to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to apparent victims of opioid overdoses. The medical community is divided about the value of rescue breathing to overdose victims.

Health experts and organizations across Canada anticipated that the Liberal government’s would renew the federal Tobacco Control Strategy, which expired on March 31. Instead, the government says the $11-million that was committed to the strategy this year, and the $16-million promised next year, will be used to stop the influx of contraband tobacco and to pay for unspecified “targeted actions” to help Canadians quit smoking.

Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of Canada’s Customs and Immigration Union, says the government’s preparations for another wave of irregular migrants this summer consist largely of reallocating of staff from other areas of the country. He warns that it could lead to overworked border security staff and longer wait times at ports of entry across the country as the busy summer travelling season sets in.

A new National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians will review Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's trip to India. The committee will look at alleged "foreign interference in Canadian political affairs" and inappropriate use of intelligence. A background briefing by national security adviser Daniel Jean suggested that factions in the Indian government tried to sabotage Trudeau's February trip to India.

The National Energy Board hired private detectives to probe the affairs of a journalist, Postmedia's Mike De Souza, who had been looking into its operations. In September, the board released some of the reporter's personal financial information to an unidentified individual.